( open post )

[timedrive]

Comments

[timedrive]

[ Doritos. Rip doesn't know why he picked up Doritos. But the point remains that they're what he has now-- three bags of Cool Ranch Doritos-- along with two bottles of double-black whiskey. Sometimes he collects things to keep on the ship as a memorabilia of the time period, but these things are purchased for the sole purpose of consuming them, if only because he's in a bit of a mood. Regardless, the point is he would've never told Sara about it otherwise (and he would've told Mick, he supposes, because Mick shares an appetite for drinking as well, but in his defence, Rip wants to be able to have more than a single glass' worth this time).

He stands in front of Sara's quarters, paper bag in one arm and his hand lifting to knock on the metal door in three, sharp hits.

She said she'd be there. Rip takes it. ]

[thewhitecanary]

[ Booze and Doritos. Well, there were worse combinations. She thinks what Rip could really use is a friend. She gets it. They've all been there. So she was happy to oblige under the guise of drinking and eating chips. She reminds herself to bring him to a Taco Bell sometime, so he can try their Doritos tacos. She hears the knock and looks up from what she'd been doing.]

Come in.

[timedrive]

[ So in Rip comes, with his bad posture and his bags of goodies, and an expression that looks a mix of uncomfortable and determined. ] Hello, Sara. [ This is terrible already and he hasn't even done anything yet.

In any case, Rip holds the bag up like he's brought a trophy home. ] As promised.

I'm not interrupting anything, am I? [ A stupid question-- if he was, she wouldn't have let him in. Regardless, Rip stands there unsure of where to go and scratching at the side of his jaw. Does he sit at the edge of her bed? On the floor? Stand off to the side...? ]

[timedrive]

Did you bring a box of 1950's jellybeans onto the ship?

[shrinkydinks]

Don't tell me I can't even do THAT or I'll mess up the timeline.

[timedrive]

Conceivably jellybeans are more acceptable to take from its time period than, say, a human being, so thank you for not following in Ms. Saunders' footsteps.

I'm just a tad disappointed you went with Jelly Belly.

[shrinkydinks]

Ray wishes he didn't remember it.

On the other hand, it means his brain is intact - the brilliant mind behind the A.T.O.M. suit, behind Palmer Technologies, hasn't been irreparably damaged by being beaten into unconsciousness, so there's that going for him. Not that he can be grateful for any of it now; he can't actually think about much, now, as Mick carries him onto the Waverider like a sack of potatoes and finds someplace safe to deposit him.

He's awake, finally, though for better or for worse he's not quite sure. He's not quite sure of anything, actually, other than that he's dizzy and filthy and his mouth is full of blood.

But hey - at least people are speaking English again.

[timedrive]

Gideon has taken care of Ray's worst injuries and the issues of his bones, but that doesn't mean he's able to leave the med bay so quickly. She's suggested a few more hours attached to the healing drip; Rip isn't in any hurry to get him off of it.

In the time after the mission, Rip's come to the conclusion that Rory and Stein had come out of it as all right as they could be. Shaken, certainly, but all right-- not like Ray, who's been sleeping too long and who Rip would almost worry about being in a coma if not for Gideon's assurance that he was only resting.

That being said, it's relieving when he does wake towards the end of the drip cycle, something that Gideon alerts Rip to in the middle of his talking to Sara. Rip has to excuse himself to be there when Ray opens his eyes, and though he looks a bit disoriented, that's par for the course. Rip's guilt has been suffocating him; fortunately (or unfortunately) the stupid elastic that keeps the sack of his emotions under tight wraps is as firm as ever, and all he does is come over.

Sara is behind him, standing in the doorway, and asks, "Is he all right?"

"He's awake," is Rip's response, and when he comes forward it's with a hand taking one of Ray's to hold it.

"Dr. Palmer, can you understand me? You're back on the Waverider. We've got you."

[shrinkydinks]

He would have died, if it weren't for Gideon - died, or been left so broken he was a permanent liability to the mission, and if anything, Ray doesn't want to be a liability. He wants to do well, wants everything to succeed - not for himself, but for his team, and for the world, and if it means being beaten beyond recognition in the interest of his friends... well, that's what he'll do.

What he did.

"Hm," he replies, lamely, his voice hoarse from screaming; his throat hurts when he swallows, but that's just the way of things. He's cognizant enough to nod, as dizzy as it makes him, and he shifts his hand enough to lace his fingers with Rip's as tightly as he can - admittedly, it's not much, but the effort is there, and he takes a moment to get his eyes to focus on his captain's face. "Did everyone make it on board?"

[shrinkydinks]

I have a confession to make.

[timedrive]

To me?

[shrinkydinks]

Yes. Now it's one confession - those jelly beans weren't the only thing I got onto the ship and I have been crushed by guilt - and one question, are there any fruits you hate?

[unbonded]

1/3 gkt gideon to make me white claws

2/3 ain't no laws when yr drinkin claws

3/3 it's pretty lit

[timedrive]

What

[unbonded]

ddon't worry about it i'm a little drunk though

[unbonded]

are you busy?

[timedrive]

Yes.

a text but the formatting is being a potato

[unbonded]

hmm

2/2

[unbonded]

HAHA

[timedrive]

Is that what our marriage is?

[unbonded]

what's up, buttercup

[timedrive]

Terrible choice of petname.

[shrinkydinks]

The shift in Ray, the difference between the Raymond that is with Rip and the one that is lonely and unbonded, is so stark it actually scares Jax (and by extension, spooks Stein) when he comes bounding through the ship, big and joyful and mindful of his size despite it.

Nobody really minds, though. Sara raises her eyebrows at Rip, her grin knowing and so, so fucking smug, and Kendra is just happy that Ray's happy again, though she misses being needed (she wonders sometimes if it makes her selfish, wanting Ray for herself because he's soft and kind and reminds her of Carter.) Len wishes Ray wasn't so gleeful, because it's  a very tiring thing, but he just rolls his eyes and tips his head the other way to ignore him.

Thump.

Raymond bops the doorframe of Rip's office with the toe of his shoe, because he's about three seconds from dropping everything everywhere. He's brought dinner, and juice, and a milkshake that's too fucking big but has two straws in it like it's a date at a sofa shop in 19-fucking-50, and under his arm against his ribs is a notebook. He has a pen sideways in his mouth and his glasses are crooked.

"Help please," he says, muffled.

[timedrive]

Rip can't say he's surprised, necessarily, by Ray's appearance-- he likes being around, and Rip in turn likes his company-- but he is surprised by everything he's got with him. "Raymond," he says, tone stern, but it doesn't stop him from putting away his pencil and coming forward to take some of the things in Ray's arms.

The food is deposited on his table, the milkshake and juice kept away from the maps Rip's been charting a course on. He helps Ray with everything else, too, and pulls one of the chairs up for him to sit on.

"You could have told me you needed me in the kitchen," he sighs, but all the same there is the slightest little tug of a smile on his mouth as he goes to roll the maps up and slide them back into their cases. "I didn't realise it was time for dinner already."

Cause you know.. didn't know what else to do. lol

[prefectingbadideas]

He didn’t know how he kept finding himself in this situation. But they really managed to get another quiet moment. Mostly John just needed to stop staring at the books for the moment and he was trying to think the last time he might have seen Rip actually do anything else. He didn’t even know if the man knew what the hell was even looking at, John gave him some basic idea but that was about it. Still time for a change of pace. Something other than staring into a book like that. So John walked back to where they had usually kept the drinks. “Think it’s time for a break.” John put the glass down in front of him before taking a drink out of his own drink.